GTT Communications BYOIP Integration Overview
Location
This page outlines the technical and procedural information required for integrating Bring Your Own IP (BYOIP) concepts with: GTT’s Tier 1 IP Transit, Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) and IPv4 Address Block Leasing services.
GTT operates a global dual-stack backbone under ASN 3257 and is designed for customers that either bring their own IPv4/IPv6 prefixes and ASN (classic IP Transit / BYOIP model) or consume GTT-assigned and leased address space with BGP and DDoS options.
In practice, BYOIP with GTT is realized in two main ways:
1. Customer-owned prefixes advertised over GTT’s Tier 1 backbone using BGP and communities;
2.IPv4 address leasing, where GTT acts as IP holder and can originate leased /24+ blocks on its backbone or provide LOA/ROA so you can announce them from other networks.
Provider Details
| Field | Information |
|---|---|
| Provider Name | GTT Communications (Tier 1 IP Transit, DIA ; IPv4 Address Leasing) |
| Website | GTT IP Transit (Tier 1 backbone) | Dedicated Internet Access (DIA) | IPv4 Address Block Leasing | BGP communities for IP Transit (AS3257) | Internet |
| ASN(s) |
Primary backbone ASN: – AS3257 — GTT-BACKBONE (GTT Communications Inc.), a global Tier 1 network with hundreds of PoPs and thousands of peers/upstreams, carrying a large share of global internet prefixes and offering extensive BGP community control. Historical / related ASNs may exist for regional entities, but AS3257 is the main public backbone ASN referenced for IP Transit and BGP communities. |
| Regions Supported |
GTT’s IP Transit and DIA services are delivered over a global Tier 1 IP backbone that spans hundreds of PoPs worldwide. Public material highlights coverage across: – North America – Europe – Asia – Australia GTT reaches a very large portion of the global internet routing table and peers at numerous major IXPs, making it suitable for multinational BYOIP, transit and IP leasing scenarios. Specific city and facility availability is determined during design and quotation. |
| Support Contact |
GTT Contact ; Sales (quotes, design, commercial enablement) |
Customer Support ; NOC (ticket portal) |
For BGP and routing policy changes, customers coordinate with GTT NOC and routing teams as indicated in IP Transit documentation; BGP community guides reference dedicated addresses such as noc@gtt.net or bgp-filters@gtt.net for specific filter and community activations. |
| Tech Article ; Date |
GTT IP Transit — product description of Tier 1 IP Transit, including global coverage, BGP support, and performance characteristics. BGP Communities for IP Transit (AS3257) — detailed documentation of customer-controllable BGP communities for traffic engineering and route propagation. IPv4 Address Block Leasing — explains the IPv4 leasing model, available block sizes (routable /24 or larger), and how blocks can be announced over GTT’s network or other providers, with GTT managing RIR objects, ROAs, rDNS and LOAs. Dedicated Internet Access — describes DIA delivered across the Tier 1 backbone with real-time reporting via the EnvisionDX portal. |
| BYOIP Scope |
GTT’s BYOIP capabilities align with its role as a Tier 1 transit and DIA provider, rather than a cloud or hosting platform: 1) Customer-owned prefixes over IP Transit (classic BYOIP): You bring your own IPv4/IPv6 prefixes (and usually your own ASN) and establish BGP sessions with GTT. Your prefixes are announced over AS3257, benefiting from GTT’s global reach and traffic engineering communities. This is the canonical BYOIP model: your prefixes remain under your ownership and are reachable via GTT as a transit provider. 2) IPv4 Address Block Leasing: If you need additional IPv4 space, GTT can lease routable /24 or larger blocks, predominantly from ARIN and RIPE. These blocks can be announced over GTT’s network (with IP Transit or DIA) and/or over other providers. GTT, as the holder of the space, manages RIR objects, ROAs, rDNS, and LOAs, effectively acting as an IP provider for your infrastructure. 3) GTT-assigned space for DIA and managed services: For sites without their own prefixes, GTT can provide provider-assigned address blocks as part of DIA or managed internet; this is not BYOIP, but is often combined with customer-owned or leased blocks in hybrid designs. |
| Supported Versions |
GTT operates a dual-stack backbone with full support for IPv4 and IPv6: – IPv4: Supported for IP Transit, DIA and IPv4 leasing. Leased blocks are available as routable /24 or larger, and customer-owned IPv4 prefixes are accepted via BGP subject to routing policy and standard internet minimums. – IPv6: The backbone is natively dual stack, and IPv6 prefixes from customer ASNs can be advertised via BGP in the same way as IPv4. IPv6 is fully supported for IP Transit and typically for DIA where available. Exact products (for example IPv6 in leased blocks) should be confirmed with GTT as offerings evolve. |
| Supported Services |
BYOIP concepts with GTT apply primarily to: – Tier 1 IP Transit: Customer-owned prefixes and ASNs connecting to AS3257, leveraging BGP communities for granular control of routing and traffic engineering. – Dedicated Internet Access (DIA): Enterprise sites with GTT-assigned or leased IP space, optionally combined with customer prefixes, delivered over diverse access types and the global backbone. – IPv4 Address Block Leasing: GTT as an IP provider, leasing routable /24+ address blocks for use over GTT and/or other networks. These services can be combined with GTT’s managed security, SD-WAN and other network services for end-to-end connectivity and policy enforcement. |
Technical Requirements
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Prefix Size |
GTT’s BYOIP-related requirements depend on the service model: – Customer-owned prefixes over IP Transit: GTT follows standard global internet routing practice; practically, the minimum advertised size is usually /24 for IPv4 and /48 for IPv6. More specific routes may be filtered or controlled according to GTT policy and best practices. – IPv4 Address Block Leasing: Published minimum size is a routable /24 or larger block. Leased blocks can be announced over GTT’s network as part of IP Transit or DIA, and/or over other providers. Prefix aggregation and route hygiene are encouraged to minimize routing table impact and improve stability. |
| ASN Ownership Required |
For full BYOIP (customer prefixes over IP Transit), it is typical to have your own public ASN: – IP Transit: Customers normally use their own ASN to peer with AS3257 and advertise prefixes via BGP. Some small or specialized scenarios may involve static routing or private ASN usage, but the standard model assumes a public ASN and BGP on the customer side. – DIA with provider-assigned or leased space: A customer ASN is not strictly required; GTT can assign IP space and route it as part of a managed service. If you combine DIA with Transit or use leased space in a multi-homed design, a public ASN is strongly recommended. GTT and its partners can advise on ASN acquisition and design where needed. |
| IRR / Route Objects |
As a Tier 1 provider, GTT expects accurate routing registry data: – For customer-owned prefixes, you are responsible for creating and maintaining appropriate IRR route objects (for example in RIPE, RADB, ARIN) that reflect your prefixes and origin ASN. GTT may require these objects to be in place before accepting advertisements. – For leased IPv4 blocks, GTT acts as the holder of record and will ensure that required RIR database objects and ROAs are created and maintained for those prefixes, as well as updating rDNS and LOAs when needed. Accurate IRR data reduces the risk of filters dropping your routes and improves global routing hygiene. |
| ROA or LOA |
RPKI and formal authorization are increasingly important when working with Tier 1 networks: – Customer-owned prefixes: You should create and maintain RPKI ROAs authorizing your own ASN as origin (and any other ASNs you legitimately use) and be prepared to provide Letters of Authorization (LOAs) to GTT if requested as evidence of routing rights. – Leased IPv4 blocks: GTT, as the holder, will create and maintain ROAs and issue LOAs when necessary. This simplifies your onboarding with other providers when you announce leased space outside of GTT. Misconfigured or expired ROAs can lead to reachability issues; customers are responsible for maintaining ROAs for their own prefixes. |
| RIR Limitations |
BYOIP with GTT assumes public, globally routable IPv4/IPv6 space that is properly registered in one of the RIRs (ARIN, RIPE, LACNIC, APNIC, AFRINIC): – Customer prefixes must be assigned or allocated to your organization according to RIR policies. – Transfers, sub-allocations or leasing of your own address space must comply with RIR rules; GTT will typically not advertise space that is clearly out of policy or in dispute. – For leased IPv4 space, GTT will select blocks from its inventory (predominantly ARIN and RIPE), manage RIR records and ROAs, and ensure legality of the lease under applicable RIR policies. Any regional policy constraints (for example on “stockpiling”, jurisdictional use or reassignment limits) remain the responsibility of the address holder and contracting parties. |
Step-by-Step BYOIP Process
Estimated Setup Time: Typically from a few days to several weeks, depending on commercial negotiation, provisioning lead times, BGP design complexity (single-homed vs multi-homed, traffic engineering), and RIR/ROA and IRR updates.
Tested By Us: Not yet
A) Customer-owned prefixes over GTT IP Transit (classic BYOIP)
B) Using GTT IPv4 Address Block Leasing as an IP provider
References: GTT IP Transit, AS3257 BGP Communities, IPv4 Address Block Leasing, Dedicated Internet Access (DIA), AS3257 on bgp.he.net.
Cost and Limitations
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Fees |
GTT does not publish a detailed public price list for IP Transit, DIA or IPv4 leasing; pricing is generally bespoke and based on capacity, term and geography: – IP Transit: Typically priced on committed bandwidth (Mbps or Gbps), often with burst options and multi-year terms. Larger commits and longer terms reduce unit cost; separate charges may apply for DDoS mitigation or other managed features. – Dedicated Internet Access: DIA is priced per-site, based on access technology (fiber, Ethernet, etc.), capacity and options such as managed CPE and SLA tiers. – IPv4 Address Block Leasing: Leasing cost depends on block size (/24 and larger), term and market conditions for IPv4; blocks are offered as an add-on to GTT services and can also be used with other providers. All detailed commercial terms are negotiated with GTT or approved resellers. |
| Bundled or Standalone |
GTT is primarily a network service provider, not a cloud or hosting platform: – IP Transit and DIA are network connectivity services that inherently support BYOIP through customer-owned prefixes and BGP. – IPv4 Address Block Leasing can be used as an add-on to GTT IP services or in conjunction with other providers; it effectively makes GTT an IP provider for your environment. BYOIP here is therefore tightly coupled to connectivity (IP Transit/DIA) rather than to virtual machines or cloud workloads. |
| Traffic/Peering Restrictions |
– GTT enforces routing and AUP policies typical of Tier 1 networks, including filters for bogon space, malformed routes and excessive deaggregation. – Customers are expected to honour maximum prefix limits and use BGP communities according to documented behaviour; non-compliant announcements may be dampened or filtered. – Certain kinds of traffic (for example unsolicited bulk email, open proxies, persistent DDoS sources) may be restricted or require specific mitigation arrangements. – Route propagation is ultimately controlled by GTT’s policies and upstream/peer relationships; customers can influence, but not fully control, all aspects of global routing beyond their own AS. |
| Other Limitations |
– BYOIP with GTT assumes you have (or are ready to operate) BGP and basic routing hygiene, including IRR and RPKI management for your own prefixes. – IPv4 leasing provides routable address space but does not absolve customers from maintaining good reputation and security practices; persistent abuse can lead to limitations or termination of leases. – Regional availability, last-mile options and DIA access technologies vary by location and may constrain where and how quickly you can deploy BYOIP-backed services. – All specifics around minimum commits, maximum number of prefixes, and supported BGP policy options are contract- and design-dependent and must be confirmed directly with GTT. |
Automation ; Developer Access
Abuse ; Reputation Management
Related Resources
GTT Homepage
IP Transit (Tier 1 backbone)
AS3257 BGP Communities
Dedicated Internet Access (DIA)
IPv4 Address Block Leasing
AS3257 – GTT Communications Inc. on bgp.he.net
AS3257 on CAIDA ASRank
AS3257 on Cloudflare Radar
GTT Support ; NOC
Contact GTT